Rail lubrication



Feb. 4, 1941. c; STERN 2,230,657

RAIL LUBRICATION Filed June 12, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR CHARLES STERN 2 ATTORN EY Feb. 4, c. STERN 2,230,657

4 RAIL LUBRICATION Filed June 12, 1937 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 i) flij INVENTOR CHARLES STERN BY.IVL6.ZQ.

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT 'GFFiC Claims.

This invention relates to rail lubrication, It is particularly directed to an apparatus for lubricating the head of a rail at a curve in the tracks.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 89,499 filed July 8, 1936 issued as Patent No. 2,183,727 for Rail lubricating device there is disclosed a lubricant discharge member attached to the side of the rail and provided with an elongated slot through which the lubricant is forced onto the side of the rail. I have found that with lubricating apparatus disclosed in my co-pending application, a quantity of grease or lubricant is ejected from the slot after passage of a train over the tracks, caused probably by internal pressures within the lubricant tank. The presence of such accumulated lubricanton the side of the rail head has been found objectionable since the first wheel of a succeeding train will cause this lubricant to spatter.

It is therefore an object of my invention to obviate this diin'culty by preventing the oozing :out or discharge of lubricant from the slot in the discharge element after passage of a train at the point where the lubricator is located.

A further object of this invention is-to provide apparatus of the character described so arranged that the lubricant tank is not disposed between the rail ties.

Another object of this invention is to provide a compact, rugged and durable apparatus of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, simple to install, positive in action, and withal practical and eflicient to a high degree in use.

O-thercbjects of this invention will in part be obvious andin part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which "will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a lubricant discharge device embodying the invention and forming part of my improved rail lubricating apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 'Z--2'of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line .3-3-of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 :is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig, 3; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a rail on rail ties, and lubricating apparatus embodying the invention for lubricating the head ofthe rail,

Referring now in detail to the drawings, ill designates a rail mounted on rail ties H. The rail comprises a base l2, web l3 and head M. In Fig. 5 there is shown lubricating apparatus it for lubricating the gage side ll of the rail head It.

The apparatus I6 comprises generally a lubricant discharge element or unit l8 fixed to the base of the rail and connected through a conduit M3, to the discharge nipple of a lubricant tank 2|, and means 22 actuated by the wave of the rail Ill, when a train passes thereover, for forcing lubricant from the tank through said 15 conduit to the discharge element and onto the gage side ll of the rail head 14.

The discharge unit 18 is attached to the base l2 of the rail [0 by means of a clamp 25. Said clamp 25 comprises a plate 25 disposed between Q0 a pair of adjacent rail ties H, and contacting the underside of the base l2. Said plate 26 preferably extends, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, to the adjacent ends of ties. Said plate is provided adjacent the outer edge of the rail 25 base l2, with a pair of bolt openings?! through which there extends bolts 29 serving to hold a pair of spaced grooved clamping members 3%] against one edge of said base. Adjacent the inner edge of the plate 26 are likewise bolt openings 30 through which there extends a pair of vertical bolts 3|. On said bolts are gripping elements 32 engaging the outer edge of the rail base 12. The central portion of the plate 26 between the bolts 3| is cut away as at 33, for the purpose herein- 35 after appearing.

The discharge unit !8 comprises a casting 35 having a pair of horizontal spaced cars 36 formed with parallel slots 3! disposed at right angles to the rail. The bolts 3| pass through said slots. The casting 35 is supported in vertical and horizontally adjusted positions on bolts 31 and may be fixed to said bolts by pairs of lock nuts 39. Said member 35 has a central downwardly inclined nipple 40 to which one end of the conduit 5 19 may be screwed. Said member 35 is also formed with a central chamber 42 communicating with the nipple 4U. Extending downwardly from the member 35 is a central cylindrical portion 43 communicating with said chamber 42. 50 Said member 35 is also formed with a vertical upstanding wall having a recessed vertical surface 46. Said recess terminates short of the ends of the wall 45 as at 41. On the upper side thereof, the member 35 is formed with a 55 horizontal surface 48 having a depression 49 communicating with the chamber 42 through a passage 50, and with the depressed surface 46 through a plurality of spaced V-shaped notches Mounted on said horizontal surface 48 is a plate 52 attached to member 35 by a plurality of spaced screws or other fastening members 53. Said member 52 closes the depression 49 and the passage 5|, Attached to the front edge of said plate 52 is a vertical or upstanding plate 55 disposed parallel to the depressed surface 46 and forming therewith a narrow slot 51 disposed in a vertical plane. Said slot 51 communicates through grooves 5| with the depression 49 and hence through the passage 50 and chamber 42 with the conduit IS. The plate 55 extends beyond the ends 41 of the depression surface 46.

The upper edge of the wall 45, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings is disposed beneath the head of the rail. It is formed with a longitudinal groove 60 receiving one edge of an elongated strip 6| of soft material, such as felt projecting above the upper edge of said wall, and contacting the underside of the rail head to prevent grease from Working its way to the back of said wall.

The lubricant tank 2| is constructed similarly to the lubricant tank shown and described in my co-pending application Ser, No. 89,499. The tank is however located preferably beyond the ends of the rail ties II. The mechanism 22 for rotating the screw 64 in the tank and lifting the piston 65 is likewise similar to the piston actuating mechanism disclosed in my said co-pending application, Said mechanism includes a lever 66 pivoted to the tank and carrying a roller 61. As shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings the roller 61 contacts the underside of the extending portion of the plate 26, and is located adjacent the outer end of said plate.

By extending the plate 26 outwardly to the ends of ties, it becomes unnecessary to embed the tank between the ties. In such case the tank may be embedded Wholly outside of the ties with only the lever 66 disposed between a pair-of adjacent ties, for engaging the outer end of the plate.

It has been found that with apparatus such as disclosed in my said co-pending application, after a train has passed the point where the lubricator is located, grease oozes out of the discharge slot and causes accumulation of grease on the side of the rail head, which is spattered when the first wheels of the next train strike the accumulated grease. To prevent the accumulation of grease after the train has passed, there is attached to the bottom of the member 35 by any suitable fastening means, a plate 70 closing the bottom of the cylindrical opening or chamber 43. Said plate lll is formed with a central opening ll. Extending through said opening is a stem 12, carrying at its upper end a cylindrical piston 13 disposed within the cylindrical chamber 43. A coil compression spring 14 may be interposed between the piston 13 and the top wall 76 of the chamber 42 to depress the piston.

Fixed to the inner surfaces of the ties H are a pair of brackets 80 having overlapping portions Bl, formed with elongated superposed slots 82, Extending through the slots 82 is a bolt 83 attaching together the brackets 80, held in fixed position by lock nuts 84. The upper end of the bolt 83 contacts the bottom of the stem 12. The position of the bolt may be adjusted by bringing it directly beneath the stem, and the brackets 85 may be fixed together in adjusted position to accommodate varying distances between adjacent ties.

It will now be understood that as a train passes over the rail, the wave of the rail moving the discharge unit l8 up and down will cause the piston 73 to move up and down within the cylindrical chamber 43. This movement of the piston '13 has two advantageous results. In the first place, it acts as a booster to aid in forcing grease through the slot 51, although the grease is forced through said slot by the movement of the piston 65 upwardly within the grease tank. Secondly, at the end of the passage of a train over the rail, the piston 73 will move down to the position shown in Fig. 3 and will suck back into the slot 57 accumulated grease, so as to prevent oozing and accumulation of grease, and eliminating spattering of grease when the next train comes along.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. i

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Lubricating apparatus comprising a member fixed adjacent a rail and having a discharge opening adjacent the head of the rail, means for discharging lubricant through said opening when a train passes over the rail, and additional means to suck discharged lubricant back into said member after the train passes over the rail, said means comprising a chamber communicating with said member, a piston thereon, and means controlled by the wave of the rail to move said piston in said chamber.

2. Lubricating apparatus comprising a rail, a member fixed thereto and having a discharge opening adjacent the head of the rail, means controlled by the wave of the rail for discharging lubricant through said opening onto the side of the rail head, and means to suck some of the discharged lubricant back into said member after the train passes over the rail, said means comprising a chamber communicating with said member, a piston therein, and means controlled by the wave of the rail to move said piston in said chamber.

3. Lubricating apparatus comprising a rail, a member fixed thereto and having a discharge opening adjacent the head of the rail, means controlled by the Wave of the rail for discharging lubricant through said opening onto the side of the rail head, and means controlled by the Wave of the rail to suck some of the discharged lubricant back into said member-after the train passes over the rail.

' 4. Rail lubricating apparatus comprising a discharge element at said rail, formed with a chamber, a piston slidably mounted Within said chamber and formed with a stem, and abutment means fixed to the rail ties and engaging said stem.

5. Rail lubricating apparatus comprising a discharge element at said rail, formed with a chamber, a piston slidably mounted within said chamber and formed with a stem, abutment means fixed to the rail ties and engaging said stem, and spring means to depress said piston.

6. In combination with a rail supported on ties, a discharge element fixed to said rail and having an opening adjacent the head of the rail, said means for forcing lubricant through said opening in the discharge element, said discharge element being formed with a chamber, a piston slidably mounted within said chamber, means on said piston extending from said chamber, and means fixed with respect to the rail ties engaging said projecting means.

7. In combination with a rail supported on ties, a discharge unit fixed to the rail and having a discharge opening, a lubricant source, means controlled by the Wave of the rail when a train passes over the rail for forcing lubricant from said source to the discharge element, and means controlled by the wave of the rail to suck lubricant discharged onto the rail head back into the discharge element after the train has. passed over the rail, said means comprising a chamber interposed between said source and opening, through which the lubricant passes, a piston in said chamher, and means controlled by the wave of the rail to move said piston relative to said chamber.

8. In combination with a rail supported on a pair of rail ties, lubricant apparatus comprising a clamp fixed to the base of the rail, a discharge unit fixed to said clamp, a bracket fixed to said rail ties, said discharge unit having a vertical chamber, a piston slidably mounted therein, and a stem on said last mentioned piston engaging said bracket.

9. Lubricating apparatus for a rail head comprising a clamp fixed to the base of the rail, a discharge unit on said clamp and comprising an upstanding Wall located on one side of the web of the rail and beneath the head of the rail, said discharge unit having a slot extending length- Wise of the rail head, means for forcing lubricant through said slot, and an elongated strip of soft material fixed to said wall and engaging said rail head, a cylindrical chamber Within said discharge element, and a piston within said chamber controlled by the wave of the rail when a train passes thereover.

10. In combination with a rail, a discharge member, means for attaching said discharge member to the rail in engagement with the underside of the rail head on the gage side of the Web of the rail, said member having a single elongated thin slot of fixed dimension disposed longitudinally to the rail and substantially in the plane of 'the gage side of the rail head, the upper end of the slot being disposed closely adjacent to the lower end of said side of the rail head, means to discharge a lubricant through said slot onto the head of the rail, and means controlled by the Wave of the rail to suck discharge lubricant back into said slot.

CHARLES STERN. 

